


This Song Is About You.

by ellatrobbie



Category: One Direction (Band)
Genre: Gen, Not Beta Read, au-ish
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-09-01
Updated: 2012-09-01
Packaged: 2017-11-13 07:34:51
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,463
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/501030
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ellatrobbie/pseuds/ellatrobbie
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>An attempted fill for this prompt in the Ziall fication: "niall writes some music by himself but is shit at expressing himself through words. zayn writes some lyrics by himself but is shit at composing music. somehow, niall's music and zayn's lyrics fit together perfectly."</p>
            </blockquote>





	This Song Is About You.

**Author's Note:**

> Title taken from Olly Murs' 'This Song is About You' but not based on it at all!
> 
> Also, in my head this is set during their summer US tour next year (2013). But it could really be anytime you like.

Niall knows something is wrong as soon as he steps on the tour bus because Zayn’s yelling at something at the back where the couches are. Well, he’s not quite yelling, but it’s close enough and Niall knows that this must be something bad because Zayn doesn’t yell. He gruffs and grunts and glares and storms out but he only really yells when Louis deliberately messes up with his quiff (and not because he cares but because he can’t be bothered to sit in hair and make up for any longer than he needs to) and when someone wakes him up. But Niall knows that Zayn walked onto the bus 2 minutes before he did, and his hair is hidden under a beanie so something is definitely wrong. Finally he unfreezes himself from the bottom step of the bus and climbs up. 

Zayn’s not really making any sense, but Niall hears the last few words, “...can’t just mess with private things!”

“I just told you, Zayn, we just found it here!” Niall hears Louis reply, his voice high on the defensive. 

“Yeah, we didn’t know it was yours, mate,” He hears Harry pipe up. 

Niall takes a few more steps down the bus and sees Louis and Harry on the couch, Zayn standing in front of them, hands on his hips in a way that they’d probably mock him for if the timing was different. 

“Hey fellas what’s up?” He decides to speak up, keeping his tone cheery to try and clear up whatever’s going on. He hates when they fight, because like Niall knows that if their friendships go to shit, then so does the band and he can’t imagine a life without this job and these people. He finally reaches the back of the bus and pats Zayn on the shoulder gently, knowing he probably doesn’t want to be touched too much at the moment. 

Harry looks absolutely relieved that he’s there, while Louis sighs and smiles gratefully, they’re obviously hoping that he’ll be able to sort this out. Niall cocks his head for a second; why’s Louis holding his guitar?

“Zayn here is upset because he think we stole his song to, I don’t know, screw with it or something.”

“You did!” Zayn hisses.

“We didn’t!” Harry says exasperatedly, “We just found it here, okay. Thought maybe Savan gave it to one of you guys to show us and we decided to try it out.”

“It’s obviously my writing!”

“Oh come off it, it’s not like we took it out of your bag!”

“Hold on, what song?” Niall interrupts. 

Louis holds out two pieces of paper, the top one covered in words and lyrics, very obviously in Zayn’s handwriting. But he doesn’t get a good look at what it says before Zayn snatches away the top sheet. So Niall’s eyes focus on the other sheet and he knows what it is before he even gets halfway through the first line. 

“This is mine,” he mumbles, staring at it. What the – it must’ve fallen out of his other sheet music when he’d been strumming on the on this couch last night. Fuck, he hadn’t meant for anyone to see this. 

“How come you guys didn’t say you were writing together?” Harry asks at the same time as Louis pipes up.

“No problem showing Niall your private words, huh?”

Niall stares at Zayn, who is staring at him, before he moves his gaze back to Louis. “What are you on about?!”

“Yeah, we’re not writing together,” Zayn says.

Louis rolls his eyes, like he doesn’t believe them, but Harry just shakes his head in confusion. “Don’t feel bad, it sounds really good!”

“Wait, you played this?” Niall said, holding up his sheet of music. 

“That’s why Zayn’s so unreasonably upset. Look Hazza and I came in here to get out of the sun, we found that,” he points to Zayn’s lyrics and then to Niall’s paper, “and that lying about and thought it looked cool so we grabbed your guitar and tried it out. And it’s really god guys. I hope you were planning on sharing it soon.”

“No, Zayn and me aren’t writing anything together.” Niall says before glancing at Zayn, “I didn’t even know you were writing.”

“Wait, you mean those aren’t meant to go together?” Harry asks slowly, and if Niall was any less confused he would’ve been annoyed. 

“Considering I didn’t know that music even existed, no,” Zayn huffs. 

Louis whistles low and loud before looking at them pointedly, “Wow. Thats’s kinda creepy.”

“What?” 

Harry ran his fingers through his hair, pushing it out of his eyes, “Like, they fit perfectly together.”

“You don’t even know what this is supposed to sound like!” Zayn says angrily. Niall sneaks a glance at him again; he’s really upset about this. Niall thinks for moment that whatever those lyrics are about must be important. 

“We do. Like that,” Harry says, pointing to Niall’s sheet. 

“Look, Hazza, how about we go find some food, and you two will you please sit down and play you supposedly separate songs together? Bye,” Louis says and grabs Harry’s hand and pulls him up before either of them can respond.

“Are they serious?” Zayn asks when they hear the two boys step off the bus. 

Niall shrugs, “Sounded like it... Should we give it a go?”

“I wasn’t planning on showing this to anyone.”

Niall stares at him this time. “Lou and Harry have already seen it. Besides I don’t think we’re really anyone,” Niall says, a little miffed. He understood that whatever it was, was personal, but he never thought Zayn wouldn’t even let him hear it. He was actually a little hurt.

Zayns sighs, and closes his eyes for a few seconds like he’s preparing himself for something. “Okay, fine, but don’t... ask. It’s just a thing, I don’t wanna talk about it.”

“Yeah sure,” Niall nodded and moves to the couch, propping his guitar on his knee. He knows his music by heart, but still places the sheet of music on the couch next to him. Zayn moves to sit down next to him, but with enough space between them so that Niall knows he’s still uncomfortable with this. Soon enough Niall starts strumming and he’s playing for nearly a minute before he realises that Zayn’s not doing anything. 

“You’re the one with the words, mate,” he says looking up and finds Zayn staring at him.

Zayn blinks a couple times, “Sorry, I – that’s exactly what it’s supposed to sound like.”

He has this look in his eyes that makes Niall almost forget what he said, “What?” 

“I don’t-” Zayn shakes his head , “Okay okay, start again. I’ll sing.”

Niall starts strumming and Zayn starts singing and Niall just enjoys his voice for a bit, and the others were right, the words fit exactly with his music. It’s almost eery.

Halfway through the second verse Zayn shifts on the couch and holds the lyrics halfway between them so that Niall can join in. After just reading a couple of lines in his head he does, singing softly becausenot sure when Zayn wants him to sound stronger. But then Zayn lowers his voice a little and Niall takes this as a cue to sing a bit louder. Zayn harmonises with him and yeah they actually sound really good. He knew they sounded good obviously, this isn’t the first time they’ve sung together. But this song, yeah, it definitely works. 

Zayn finishes off with riff he’s obviously half-arsing, but sounds brilliant anyway and Niall strums the last note and grins at him, still trying to figure out what just happened. 

“Maybe one of us is psychic?” he suggests “Or like we’re musically linked.”

“Musically linked?” Zayn smirks.

Niall shoves his arm playfully, “Y’know. It’s weird that it works... Were you gonna show us in the studio? The song I mean?”

“I dunno...” Zayn mutters, dropping his head and Niall figures he shouldn’t push him. He uses the silence that’s fallen over them to pay more attention to the actual words. It’s quite sad actually, even though the words “yellow” and “sunshine” jump out at him quite a bit. 

Niall looks over at him, “I know I said I wouldn’t ask, but it’s not Perrie is it?” He holds his breath for a bit. Zayn and Perrie ended a little while ago and while they supposedly just fizzled out, Zayn had been edgy about it ever since. Not wanting to even mention her name for a while. 

Zayn stares at him for what it almost an uncomfortably long time, but he’s not properly staring, almost like he’s studying him. Like he’s trying to tell him something but Niall’s just not getting it. 

“Nah, it’s not Perrie.”


End file.
